Ha ha ha ha - absolute gold Cliff. You cracked me up completely! 
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I have a friend who does stainless fabrication for a living and he’s been going on and on about getting a home brewery up and running sometime. Now you’ve solved the hard bit. How’s about this for the Bent Frog Menu
ok, how do I get a bigger beer… 
I made a template to hold the ties while I routed out the bottom for backbone strips on the #5’s & #6’s, since I had a production line on the go. No such luck this time. I borrowed Pete T’s idea and pinned some battens to the top to hold things in place.
Then I flipped them over and used the router with a straightedge as a guide.
18ga brads & urethane glue for the backbones.
Then a slightly nervous removal of the top battens…
Some anti rot wood treatment just brushed on last night, now I have the long winter wait for the stuff to dry. Temps are generally swinging just above & below freezing at the moment so I guess I’m on pause for the next few weeks.
Cheers
N
I love the battens. I’ve always disliked the use of battens on hand laid track, but by recessing them you have resolved my objection to them. Well done!
Ah man I wanna go to New Zealand now more than ever!!
Neil, I love your list!! Can I suggest some additions?
The Point Sisters - 4% hard cider + hard lemonade
Just Spike It - Hawaiian Punch, fruit bits and vodka
The Short #4 Frog - 11% double IPA (you’ll get to do some explaining with that one)
Ground Throw - ??% rum & not much Coke
And, echoing Jon, your recessed battens are amazing, I’ve never seen that done. Brilliant method with the router and straightedge!
Neil,
I have 6 more turnouts to make for my layout and I’m feeling the same lack of motivation. Just started the frog development aka grinding a few weeks ago.
I’m right with you Craig. I wish I’d got a Spiker while they were still being made.
Cheers
N
Thanks Jon. Yeah the battens. I did the underhung style way back when, didn’t like them either but it worked ok 'cause I was using conduit & crusher fines for roadbed outside. The battens straddled the conduit and all was peachy.
I’ve had to figure out the recess thing with solid roadbed or it wasn’t going to work. Still surprised it works as well as it does! 
14th New Zealand GR Convention next Jan Cliff. Just sayin’… Some of the drinks on our lists might or might not be consumed in the company of train nuts… 
Cheers
N
PS - warm spell coming this weekend, got the bases outside for a few days this afternoon.
How thick are you making the ties and battens? I might try this approach.
Ties match AML / Sunset Valley dimensions. 9.5 mm, (3/8"?) thick. Battens are 2.5mm, I just rip them on a normal table saw with a zero clearance plate.
It’s always a bit sad to see more sawdust from the kerf than the timber I have left…
Cheers
N
Yep. That seems to be the case. This small batch of timbers for a tunnel portal…
Begat this pile of sawdust…
Back in the day in the hood losing approximately 1/8" of wood (sawdust) as you go.
Kerfing is overrated these days!
Neil,
Are you soldering the frogs as one side unit or just spiking them in place? Just curious as I’m having trouble heating up my brass 250 rail to get it to solder ( solder the points together and then add every to shim brass to hold it). When I did the last batch of turnouts I did nickel silver and that seems to solder better.
https://www.harborfreight.com/butane-micro-torch-63170.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12169054043&campaignid=12169054043&utm_content=125548909348&adsetid=125548909348&product=63170&store=3026&gclid=Cj0KCQjw84anBhCtARIsAISI-xekwwb44HZ1ij8WU90jA_cui29yNu2J9XRzYmap2QHvZGQEa7-CaP8aAtBbEALw_wcB
The above and a wet rag help with heavier metal work 
I’m with David. I have a small butane torch for silver soldering (and a bigger plumbers propane torch,) which I use whenever there is a lot of brass to heat up.
They used to recommend a big 80W soldering iron, heated in the coal fire in the hearth. . .
I have both a propane and Mapp torch I use for copper plumbing. Neither one I can get hit enough to get good joints. I used these both last time with nickel silver and it worked fine. But I did remember that my base was plywood vs this hunk of marble scrap. I think that marble scrap might be sucking too much heat away.
I guarantee the marble is sucking the heat away. I have soapstone countertops and they suck the heat right out of a hot frying pan in no time. Marble is in that same category as a high density thermal conductive stone.
Plywood burning in the garage smells so much better too… it’s like my own personal campfire on my workbench.
Not to derail the tread more but yep the marble base was the problem. I didn’t even have to break out the torch and just used the 60W iron. Used some plywood scraps and had 3 frogs soldered up in no time. 3 more to grind and solder still.
Looks like you’re all sorted. 
I’m using a mini butane torch, and Stay Brite silver solder
Only thing I had to do a bit differently (for these) was hang the joint in the air - I don’t get a woodburner pass in the garage next to the laundry…
Loosely spiked to get the positioning
Respiked without the paper, ready for soldering
Done.
Cheers
N
The clamp spring is a really neat idea to hold everything in place. I’m 4 of 6 done now… 
